This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) for the running of the Samsung 500. The trip to TMS will mark the debut of the new Sprint Cup car, formerly the Car of Tomorrow, on the lightening-fast 1.5-mile speedway.
"After two weeks of short track racing, I'm ready to head to Texas," Reutimann said. "We are looking forward to running the new car at this track. None of the teams really had the opportunity to test here during the off-season so we will all be starting from square one with this new car, basically just working off what we learned at Las Vegas and Atlanta. After a tough week at Martinsville, this team is looking for a good run to bring back some of the momentum we had after Bristol so Sunday's race is very important for us."
The Samsung 500 is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start. FOX will provide the live television broadcast while PRN will provide live radio coverage.
Reutimann Discusses Racing at Texas Motor Speedway
Reutimann on racing at Texas…
"Texas is fast, very fast. I think outside of the speed what stands out the most is it has a couple of little bumps that can upset your car a little bit but mostly you just think about how fast it is. Over the years, though, I think that it's really developed into a great place to race. The Texas races last year had some great finishes. In the beginning, you were really only able to run the bottom line but with the more races that are run there, it seems to become a little more forgiving and we are able to run more of the race track."
Is Texas a race track that changes from year to year?
"Tracks have personalities just like people do but Texas has been pretty consistent over the years. This year we are returning with the new car which has been an adjustment at all these speedways like Las Vegas and Atlanta that we've gone to for the first time this year, so that will be the biggest adjustment I think. I guess we can look back a little at Atlanta because the track has some similarities to Texas. We left Atlanta with a top-20 finish and that's the type of run we are looking for this weekend to hopefully get our team back inside the top-35."
What are your goals for this weekend?
"Well we are back outside of the top-35 so the pressure is on for qualifying. This team has proved they're capable of being locked safely into the top-35 but right now we are playing a little catch-up after a tough race at Martinsville. Ryan and the team will have a plan going into Friday and we just want to come away from Texas with a good run for Michael Waltrip Racing and UPS."
UPS Racing Team Notes of Interest
- Reutimann will need to qualify his way into Sunday's Samsung 500 on speed after a DNF at Martinsville dropped the #44 Team outside the top-35 in owner point standings.
- Reutimann only has one Sprint Cup start to his credit at Texas but has also had track time in the Nationwide and Truck Series with a combined 10 additional starts.
- In the Nationwide Series, Reutimann recorded a pole win at Texas in addition to one top-10 finish. In the Truck Series, the Florida native has scored three top-five and five top-10 finishes.
